The Book of Wisdom, Vol 2

Wake up the Slave

Wake up the Slave. 'Don't seek sorrow for spurious comforts. All absorptions are effected in one. One method will correct all wrong—at the beginning and at the end of the path is this one method.' Wake up the slave: you're a slave to comforts—spurious, not real. Wake up! The one method is awareness—at the beginning and the end. Not many methods but one: witnessing.

Dropping out of the Olympics

Dropping out of the Olympics. Stop competing—the spiritual path is not a race. Dropping out of the Olympics: the ego turns everything into competition—even spirituality. 'I'm more evolved than you.' Drop out of the spiritual Olympics. The sage doesn't compete—he blooms. The lotus doesn't race the rose.

The three rung ladder of Love

The three rung ladder of Love. Three stages of love: need, giving, being. The three rung ladder of love: first rung—love as need (I need you). Second rung—love as giving (I give to you). Third rung—love as being (we are). The ladder goes from dependence to generosity to unity. Climb all three rungs—but don't stop at any.

Diogenes and the Dog

Diogenes and the Dog. Diogenes lived like a dog—free, shameless, wise. Diogenes and the dog: the cynic who was free from all social conditioning. He lived in a barrel, ate simple food, mocked the powerful. The dog doesn't pretend—neither did Diogenes. Wisdom is not respectability—it's freedom from pretense.

Vagabonds of the Soul

Vagabonds of the Soul. 'Train impartially in every area. Always meditate on specific objects. You should have no concern for other factors.' Vagabonds of the soul: the sage wanders—not homeless but home-full. Every place is home because home is within. Train impartially—don't prefer one area over another. The whole is your training ground.

The greatest Joke there is

The greatest Joke there is. Existence is the ultimate joke—enlightenment is getting it. The greatest joke there is: the cosmic joke is that you ARE what you seek. The seeker is the sought. The punchline is you. When you get the joke, you laugh forever. The Buddha laughed—the sage's enlightenment is the ultimate laughter.

Behind the Master's Hands

Behind the Master's Hands. What happens behind the master's visible actions. Behind the master's hands: the master's real work is invisible—behind the words, behind the gestures. What you see is the surface; what transforms you is the hidden. The master's hands are busy, but his being is still. Look behind the hands.

Bring in the New Man

Bring in the New Man. The new humanity—Zorba the Buddha. Bring in the new man: the old man is dead—he was divided, repressed, guilty. The new man is whole—body and soul, East and West, mind and no-mind. The new man doesn't renounce—he celebrates. He's the future: Zorba the Buddha.

We are Ancient Pilgrims

We are Ancient Pilgrims. The soul is ancient—traveling through many lives. We are ancient pilgrims: your consciousness is not new—it's ancient, traveled through countless forms. The pilgrimage is not in space but in consciousness. You're not a beginner—you're an old traveler on the path. Remember your ancientness.

The illogical Electron

The illogical Electron. The electron is both particle and wave—illogical. The illogical electron: modern physics discovered what mystics always knew—existence is illogical. The electron can't be pinned down—neither can truth. Logic is too small for reality. The mystic embraces the illogical because reality IS illogical. Beyond either/or is both/and.

The Soul is a Question

The Soul is a Question. The soul is not an answer—it's a question. The soul is a question: the soul doesn't answer—it questions. 'Who am I?' is the soul's voice. Answers satisfy the mind; questions nourish the soul. Don't seek answers—stay with the question. The question itself is the path. When the question becomes total, it dissolves into being.

Be a Joke unto Yourself

Be a Joke unto Yourself. The ultimate teaching—don't take yourself seriously. Be a joke unto yourself: the sage is his own joke. He doesn't take himself seriously—that's his wisdom. The ego is a joke—when you see it, you laugh. Be a joke unto yourself—laugh at your own seriousness. That laughter is enlightenment.